


I'm Starting To

by forever_minnie



Category: Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Healing Incantation, Minor Angst, Missing Scenes, New Dream, Quote: You were my new dream (Disney: Tangled), early new dream, falling in love?, he's alive, i see the light, im new at writing fics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28268370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forever_minnie/pseuds/forever_minnie
Summary: The thoughts of the process of starting to. Of starting to be a better person. Of starting to finding who you are. Of starting to be in love.I suck at summaries but I think I wrote a good fic.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 7
Kudos: 12





	I'm Starting To

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PurpleReine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleReine/gifts).



> Notes: This has parts of the movie and after that it’s just New Dream moments and how their relationship is after the movie and before TBEA, you know? So yeah enjoy! This is a Secret Santa gift for @PurpleReine from the Fitzfam server.

“Hey, there’s no point it’s pitch black down there,” Flynn said while pulling Rapunzel up from the water in the cave that was trapping them inside. He swept her hair past her ear to talk to her better. 

As they fell back to the wall, Rapunzel sighed “She was right, I never should have done this,” she sobbed and tried to get the words out without crying, “I’m so- I’m so sorry, Flynn.”

* * *

Flynn always believed that he was going to die young. He believed that one day he would slip from a roof, be caught by the guards, beaten to death from the men of the Baron, or worse killed by the man himself. Never would he have thought that his final moments would be spent trapped in a cave with a girl that had something of his and he, to get it back, had to take her to see the floating lanterns. 

He had already accepted his death and well this girl, this girl he decided needed to spend her last moments with something other than sadness it seemed. So in that moment he decided to tell her something about him. Something he had built a fortress around for years.

“Eugene,”

“What?”

“My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert, someone might as well know.”

Goldie smiled at him, “I have magic hair that glows when I sing.”

That’s nice to know she has magic ha- wait, “What?”

She seems to realize what she said and repeats herself, only slightly louder, “I have magic hair that glows when I sing!”

And as they inhaled and submerged under water he heard her sing about flowers, glow, power, and shine. What?

* * *

As they were walking Rapunzel wondered if she could call him by Eugene, or should she stick to Flynn? She had only just met the man yesterday. She practically blackmailed him into taking her to see the lights. Would she get back in time before Mother arrived? What if Mother already knew she was gone? What if-

“Alright Blondie, I think this is a good place for us to camp out tonight and sleep. We have a big day ahead of us,” she heard Flynn (Eugene?) say.

“Huh- Oh, OH yeah” she murmured.

“You okay?” he asked, and thankfully he didn’t comment on her murmuring. Which was good because had it been Mother, then she would have been reprimanded.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you,” she responded.

“I’ll go and get some firewood, can you see if there is anything to eat? We didn’t end up eating at the Snuggly Duckling after all” he chuckled.

And so they parted ways, but not before she heard him hiss. She remembered that he had cut his hand. Eugene had already seen her magic hair, she told him that it doesn’t just glow. The problem was she didn’t know  _ what _ to tell him exactly. He already freaked out underwater, and well she knew that her gift was rare and special and that it should be hidden from those who would try to exploit it. Deep inside she knew that he wouldn’t tell others, but part of her still had some doubt because Mother always told her the world was a cruel place.

She saw an apple tree in the distance and did her best to pick out four apples. She heard some bushes moving around and turned her head to see nothing. Huh, maybe it was just an animal. She went back and saw that Flynn had already started the fire, how long was she gone for? 

“You’re back.”

“Yeah, I uh- I found an apple tree and got four, so here you go,” she offered with a smile.

“Thank you,” he said, taking them from her and he groaned, “wrong hand, sorry.”

As they sat down she decided it was now or never. 

“Give me your hand,” she told him while taking it.

They sat in silence as she wrapped her hair around his hand, it was too late to turn back. 

“So you’re being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand.”

“Sorry,” she sighed, “just don’t- don’t freak out.”

She closed her eyes and started singing. She didn’t want to see his reaction until the end, besides Mother always taught her that it would be better if she closed her eyes. 

_ Flower gleam and glow _

_ Let your powers shine _

_ Make the clock reverse _

_ Bring back what once was mine _

_ Heal what has been hurt _

_ Change the fates design _

_ Save what has been lost _

_ Bring back what once was mine _

_ What once was mine _

* * *

Slowly all of her hair started to light up, and as it passed by the frog, he pointed to his paw? hand? He turned back to his own hand as the light was passing through. It wasn’t warm but there was something calming about it. It reminded him of spring in a way, of how it could be warm but there were days that were calm while you could hear the rain. The rain that was soothing, it was calming. 

Lifting his hand he unraveled her hair and saw his hand.

His hand was perfectly fine, with not even a single scratch.

“Ahh-”

“Please don’t freak out!”

“I'm not freaking out, are you freaking out?! No, I'm just very interested in your hair and the magical qualities that it possesses, how long has it been doing that, exactly?!”

“Uh- Forever, I guess?”

“Mother said when I was a baby people tried to cut it. They wanted to take it for themselves. But, once it's cut,” she side swept her hair to show him the small brown strand of hair. “It turns brown, and loses its power. A gift like that, it has to be protected. That's why Mother never let me-that's why I-I never left the... ”

“You never left that tower,” he concluded. “And you’re still gonna go back?”

She bolted up “NO! Yes?,” she covered her face. “Ugh, it’s complicated.”

She cleared her face and asked him, “So, Eugene Fitzherbert, huh?”

“Ah yeah, well. I'll spare you the sob story of poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert, it's a little bit ah, It's a little bit of a downer.”

She got closer, and he chuckled and started talking, “There was this book. A book I used to read every night to all the younger kids. The tales of Flynnigan Rider,” he told her while making movements with his hands, “Swashbuckling rogue, richest man alive. Not bad with the ladies, either. Not that he'd ever brag about it, of course.”

“Was he a thief too?”

That caught him off guard, “Ahh, well no. Actually, he had enough money to do whatever he wanted to do. He could go wherever he wanted to go. And-and, for a kid, with nothing. I don't know, I-It just seemed like a better option.”

“You can't tell anyone about this, okay? It could ruin my whole reputation.” He told her jokingly. 

“Ah, we wouldn’t want that.” She smiled back.

“Well a fake reputation is all a man has,” he said.

Their laughter faded into a comfortable silence. Something was there, it was small but it was there. They knew that after tomorrow they might never see each other again but maybe, just maybe they could make this moment last. Maybe they could enjoy each other’s presence after the lanterns rise in the night sky. And well, Eugene had already climbed the tower once.

“Well I should- I should get some more firewood,” he said as he was walking away.

He was careful to not step on her magical glowing and healing golden hair. When he heard her, “Hey, for the record, I like Eugene Fitzherbert much better than Flynn Rider.”

“Well, then you’d be the first, but thank you.” he softly smiled at her, which he found himself doing more often.

* * *

After the little girls braided her hair, Rapunzel and Eugene were ready to go anywhere and everywhere that she wanted to go. 

They were able to buy food this time, and sometimes he dropped it because she found something else to explore. He didn’t mind though, he wanted her to live this day to the fullest. It was her birthday after all and maybe the last day she’d spend in the outside world. 

He bought her a little flag with the Coronan sun, which she used to draw on the floor with pieces of chalk. She drew swirls of gold and purple. He bought her a cupcake, when he asked her which one she chose the pink one that matched with the stripes in her sleeve. He quickly grabbed her hand and ran to hide from the guards. 

He took her to the library and maybe he couldn’t show her all of the world, but in that little shop he showed her what he could find. He showed her a map and pointed out places, he showed her different books and fairytales. 

And towards the end of the day she grabbed a little boy and danced with him. She started getting more people to join in the dance. She motioned for him to dance, and he denied. Max had other ideas as he pushed him into the crowd. 

So they danced and they danced, and they waited until the moment in which they would dance with each other. 

“Hi” he sighed.

“Hi.”

In the distance, as the song had finished, someone shouted, “To the boats!”

* * *

As he threw the apple to Max he realized something. This entire day he hadn’t stolen a single thing. Sure he told Max that he did, but he did that to mess with the horse. But today, just to make Rapunzel’s day special he bought everything, maybe he could change.

* * *

She wondered what new dream she could follow after seeing the lanterns. Would it be to leave the tower? Where would she go? With who? 

Mother showed her that she would love for her to stay in the tower, but Rapunzel just wanted to explore the world. She wanted to live. 

What about Eugene? She knew that there was something that was driving her towards him, there were these feelings that she hoped that he reciprocated. Nevertheless today was an amazing day, he helped her see the world in a way that was different from what Mother would say. He showed her that the world was beautiful, that there was more to the world and that she wants it all.

And so they waited for the lights in silence.

* * *

“I have something for you too. I should have given it to you before, but I was just scared. And the thing is, I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?”

“I’m starting to.”

* * *

The closeness was taunting. He almost kissed her, but he didn’t. He almost fulfilled an unknown dream, but he didn’t. He almost started something beautiful and amazing, but he didn’t. At least not yet.

* * *

Mother was right. She was a fool. A fool! For believing that he would actually like her. He only cared about the crown. He only lifted her hopes and for what? For a stupid crown? What about them? What about the small moments they shared today and in the boat? Was she just a lady to woo like the many his “hero” did?

* * *

‘No no no no, Eugene needs help he’s in trouble. Mother- No! Gothel, lied. She lied to me my entire life. She kidnapped me from my real parents. She used me like she said the world would.’ Rapunzel thought while trying to find a way to escape without realizing that Gothel was about to tie her up. 

* * *

“Eugene!” she muffled out.

* * *

“You were my new dream.” He said with his dying breath. There are tears forming in his eyes. His whole world just fell. He’s dying and right when he’s dying he realized that he loves the girl in front of him. The one that even without her powers is trying to heal him. Rapunzel. 

“And you were mine.” She tells him. She’s already crying. She loves him, he was her new dream. He was the dream he told her she could follow. But after this moment, will he still be there? Will the healing incantation work? Can she bring him back, or will she have failed and lost two of the most important people of her life on the day after her best day ever?

* * *

“Did I ever tell you, I’ve got a thing for brunettes?”

“Eugene!”


End file.
